


What a Difference One Door Makes

by aseies



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: College AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24464992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aseies/pseuds/aseies
Summary: A Leo/Nico College au AU based on the following Tumblr post:i accidentally broke into your house/apartment because my friend lives next door to you and i was in the area, drunk, and i thought i was climbing into the right window and falling asleep on the right couch (and i did wonder when my friend got two cats but i didn’t question it) so now i’m hungover and shirtless in your living room so um hi howya doin au
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Leo Valdez
Comments: 4
Kudos: 133





	What a Difference One Door Makes

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr in 2014.

The first thing Leo felt was a pounding headache from a light brighter than behind his eyelids. He wrinkled his nose and turned in toward the couch seat. After a few seconds, he realized there was someone talking nearby.

“Hazel, there’s a half-naked man on my couch and I don’t know what to do about it.”

Huh. Piper’s voice had changed a lot since he’d last seen her. A lot deeper. Who the heck was Hazel?

“No; I _definitely_ didn’t invite him in late last night.”

OK, Leo was reasonably sure that wasn’t Piper’s voice. _Maybe_ he should investigate this further. He groaned and started pushing himself upright.

“Oh gods Hazel, he’s _moving_. What do I do?”

Yup. The goth boy in the skinny jeans looking like a deer in headlights was definitely _not_ Piper. He was pretty sure Piper didn’t have four different posters celebrating the new Mythomagic 3DS release, either.

“This… isn’t Piper’s house, is it?” Leo asked slowly.

“No,” the boy said just over a whisper with a cute little head shake. “Who’s Piper?” He blinked, and looked to the landline phone in his hand with a frown. “What do you mean she’s my neighbor? How do _you_ know that and I don’t?”

Psh. A landline. It had a slinky chord and everything. Who even had those anymore? 

“Okay, okay, yes I get it; I should talk to people more. I have to go. There’s a half-naked guy on my couch I have to take care of.” He seemed to realize what he said before Leo could crack a joke about it and stumbled through the words, “Not like–Goodbye, Hazel.” And quickly hung up the phone before realizing the chord was still wrapped around him.

Leo couldn’t help but grin as the boy untangled himself. He might have even laughed if his skull stopped throbbing behind his eyes. It was a shame he was so hungover, ‘cause the guy was pretty cute when he was flustered, and Leo couldn’t fully appreciate him at the moment.

“So, um,” goth boy ran his hand through his dark curls as his eyes darted toward Leo and then away. “You…. do you have a shirt?”

“I _think_ so,” Leo said, patting his chest, and looking around the room. “Honestly, I don’t remember much after my fourth Sonic Screwdriver. I remember taking off my shirt but I can’t remember if it was before or after I broke in.”

“So, uh, why exactly _did_ you break in?”

“Well, see,” Leo flopped his arms over the back of the couch as he continued his search for his missing garment. “We were all at Jackson’s stupid party, and my best friend – that’s Piper – decides she wants to hook up with my ridiculously attractive roommate, Jason, back at our place for some reason. And I’m like, 'No way man, I’ve gotta crash there.’ But she said I could stay at her place and, like, gave me a key.” Not seeing his shirt anywhere, Leo slumped back down onto the couch properly. “So, I get to her apartment, and the key doesn’t work. In retrospect, that was _probably_ because it wasn’t her apartment, but I was a little drunk and at the time and, really, picking the lock seemed like the next logical thing to do.”

He stared at Leo. “You picked the lock _drunk_?”

Leo shrugged and threw in a cocky smile for good measure. “I’m a man of many talents.”

“I, um,” Leo caught the boy’s dark eyes lingering on Leo’s chest before snapping up to his face. “I think you should go now.”

“Like this?” Leo asked, gesturing to his lack of clothes.

The boy’s olive cheeks tinged with pink as he turned away. “You can borrow one of mine. We’re about the same size.”

As he disappeared through the arch of the next room, Leo called after him, “Yeah, but you definitely have the better ass.”

For some reason, getting a black T-shirt thrown in his face from across the room was immensely satisfying. He giggled even as his head throbbed in protest. Leo pulled the shirt on, realized the tag was under his Adam’s apple, and decided he didn’t care enough to do anything about it.

Looking around, Leo thought his host was still in the other room before spotting him awkwardly holding the front door open. “You can go now.”

Leo whistled, regretting it for a moment before standing and making his way to the door, and said, “You sure don’t waste any time, do you?”

“Well, yeah. When a stranger breaks into my house I tend to want them out as soon as possible.”

Leo shifted his weight awkwardly and rubbed the knots in back of his neck. “Yeah. Sorry about that. And, uh, thanks for not calling the cops.”

“I still might,” he warned.

“Noted,” Leo said, walking out of the door. He turned to look at the boy one last time. “So, am I gonna learn your name, or am I fated to call you 'Piper’s hot neighbor’ for the rest of eternity?”

The pink returned to his cheeks, but he stood tall as he answered, “ 'Nico’ is fine.”

“Well, I’m Leo,” Leo said, offering his hand. As Nico shook it, Leo said, “I’ll give your your shirt back eventually. And maybe I’ll even knock next time.”

“Please do. Knocking is always preferred. Goodbye.”

And before Leo could get another word in, the door was closed in his face, the large 137 on the door rattling against the wood right at eye level. Glancing over at the 139 just one porch over, it was easy to see how drunk Leo had mixed the two houses up – they were nearly identical.

What an interesting difference one number made. Boy, did he have a story for Jason when he got back.


End file.
